Elevator and mixer



June 6, 1939. R, PUCCINELLI 2,161,485

ELEVATOR AND MIXER Filed Oct. 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Shet 1 INVENTOR R.L.Pu/ccijzclll BY. v s

ATTORNEY June 6, 1939. R, L, PUCCINELL, 2,161,485

ELEVATOR AND MIXER Filed Oct. 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 4R.L.Pc eccinell Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 5,

Claims.

This invention relates to produce elevators, and particularly to one designed for use with raisins, though it is equally adaptable for use with other produce such as grains of various kinds, which in their preparation for market, require elevating and blending after they are brought in from the field or dryer in boxes or similar containers. In the processing of raisins for packaging, after they are dried, they are fed onto a shaker screen for the removal of the stems, and then pass over inspection or picking belts, from which defective raisins are removed by hand.

These various operations require the initial elevating of the raisins as they are brought into the packing shed from the dehydrator or from the drying field. At present, bucket elevators are used for the purpose which'tend to crush and cut into the raisins. Also, with the indescriminate and untimed dumping of the raisins onto the elevator, the raisins are apt to be delivered onto the picking belt in varying volumes. As a result, at one time an excessive speed on the part of the pickers is necessary to keep up with the quantity of raisins passing by them, while at another time there is insuflicient work to keep them busy. This of course does not make for eflicient plant operation.

t also frequently occurs that certain boxes will contain a larger percentage of defective raisins than others, and since the raisins are then fed onto the picking belt without material blending, the pickers sometimes have an excessive amount of work to do on a given batch of raisins irrespective of any variation in total volume, and the operation of the entire assembly must be slowed down in order to give the pickers time to properly remove the defective raisins. It may here be noted that what are above termed defective raisins, when considering the small individual or separated sultana raisins, are mainly those having a dark brown or nearly black color, caused by burning in the sun while on the vines. The inspectors permit a certain percentage of such raisins in a pack and it is therefore obvious that if boxes of nearly perfect fruit are blended with those containing a relatively large percentage of defective fruit before the picking operations are performed, the total amount of picking which must be done in order to pass inspection is lessened considerably.

With the above objectionable features due to present mechanisms in mind, it is therefore the principal object of my invention to eliminate such features by providing a device which will elevate 1937, Serial No. 167,394

the raisins without possibility' of damage, which will cause raisins from different boxes or initial supplies to be blended before they are fed onto the picking belt, and which will cause such feed to be in even quantities regardless of any variations in the speed or time of dumping of the supplies onto the elevator, and so that such quantities will be delivered onto the belt for some time even though the supply to the elevator is temporarily discontinued. The elevating device also acts to agitate the raisins before they are delivered onto the shaker, so that a more positive separation of the stems from the raisins is assured.

A further object is to provide a means whereby 15 the volume of raisins delivered onto the shaker and consequently onto the picking belt, may be varied, irrespective of the volume supplied to the elevator.

This is important, since it enables the handling of the raisins by the pickers to be speeded up or slowed down, according to the picking requirements of any batch of raisins, without altering the speed of the apparatus as a whole.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved elevator.

Figure 2 is an end view of the same, the conveyor belt being cut on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the elevating and mixing drum.

Figure 4 is a transverse section of the drum on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the essential feature of my apparatus is a hollow drum l of relatively large diameter, Supported for rotation with its axis horizontal, on rollers 2. The drum is rotated at a slow speed by suitable means such as a chain drive 3'. The drum is provided with end heads 4 having large openings 5 concentric with the drum. Relatively shallow paddles or vanes 6 extend lengthwise of the drum, and extend radially inward from the inner peripheral surface thereof.

, Projecting into the opening 5 of one head 4 is the upper end of an endless driven belt conveyor 1, which extends downwardly and away from the drum on a gentle slope toward the floor of the packing shed to a termination at a height convenient for the dumping of boxes of raisins by hand onto the conveyor at said end. A deflecting chute 8 is disposed above the upper end of the conveyor and projects through said opening 5 intothe drum so as to catch and deflect inwardly any raisins which might otherwise fall outwardly through the opening from the vanes above with the rotation of the drum.

It will thus be seen that raisins conveyed along 1 oughly blended without being cut into or crushed,-

and some of them will be elevated to the top of the drum by the vanes. The solid portion of the heads 4 is of sufficient depth to provide a reservoir in the bottom of the drum of considerable capacity, which in the case of a drum 7 feet in diameter and 4 feet long, is sufiicient to retain 1000 pounds of raisins.

As the raisins elevated by the vanes reach the top of the rotating drum, they drop onto a solid bottomed tray 9, which projects into the drum above the belt and through the opening 5 in the other head 4. This tray is an extension and in fact a part of a shaker screen I disposed beyond the drum. The screen is supported for shaking movement on links II mounted on suitable side frames l2, which project into the drum through said opening to the sides of the tray and serve to support mounting links I3 for thetray, and also the chute 8. By reason of this drum construction, it will be seen that regardless of the amount of raisins in the drum or of any variation in the speed of feeding supplies to the drum, the amount of raisins deposited on the tray and screen by the vanes will be substantially constant, so that the picking belt, to which the shaker delivers, will also receive a constant volume. It will also be obvious that the continual tumbling about of the raisins in the drum will tend to loosen the stems, so that a more positive and complete separation of the stems from the raisins on the shaker screen (which is the function of the latter) is assured.

In connection with the rear drum head (through which the tray projects) I have provided another raisin deflecting chute l4 positioned to return into the drum any raisins which might fall from above. An apron or skirt l5 depends into the drum from the inner end of the chute M to a termination below opening 5, and being opposed to the upper discharge end of belt 1, prevents any raisins from the latter from being possibly thrown through said opening.

I have also provided a means for varying the volume of raisins fed onto the tray 9, irrespective of the speed of rotation of the drum. This means comprises a deflector plate I! extending lengthwise of and disposed within the drum and projecting above the tray 9. This plate is secured on a shaft 18 extending along the lower edge of the plate and mounted on the frame I 2 on the down-turning side of the drum. The plate is shaped so as to overhang the tray, the amount of overhang being determined by means of a control lever l9 secured on one end of the shaft and cooperating with a suitable holding device 20. In this manner it will be seen that someof the raisins which would drop from thevanes onto the tray, are caught instead by the plate, and

deflected back into the drum away from the tray. The extent of the overhang of course determines the amount of raisins thus caught, and can be quickly and easily controlled by proper manipulation of the lever IS.

The volume of raisins fed onto the picking belt may therefore be temporarily altered according to picking requirements, without altering the speed of the drum, the shaker screen or the picking belt, all of which are. preferably connected together in synchronized driving relationship.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device,

still in practice such deviations from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An elevator and mixer comprising a drum open at one end anddisposed with its axis horizontal and adapted to receive produce to be mixed and elevated, mixing and elevating means in the drum, a tray projecting lengthwise into the drum through said open end whereby to receive produce as elevated and discharged from the elevating means at the top of the drum, a deflector plate extending lengthwise of the drum with its lower edge to one side of the tray, and projecting thence above the tray, means pivoting the plate along its lower edge for swinging movement whereby the plate may be swung to overhang the tray varying amounts, and means to control the swinging of the plate.

2. In combination with an elevator and mixei including a rotary drum disposed with its axis horizontal, end heads on the drum having central openings, a conveyor discharging into the drum through the opening in one head, mixing and elevating means in the drum, and a tray of substantial width projecting lengthwise into the drum through the opening in the other head and in a horizontal plane above the discharge end of said conveyor, said tray being arranged to receive mixed material as discharged thereabove; a baffle plate mounted in the drum in fixed relation below the tray in opposed relation to the discharge end of said conveyor and depending to a level below the same, whereby to prevent material from said conveyor from being thrown through the portion of the opening in said other head below the tray.

3. An elevator and mixer comprising a rotary horizontal-axis drum, end heads on the drum having central openings therein, means to feed produce into the drum through the opening in one head, elevating means in the drum, a longitudinally movable shaker tray to receive the elevated produce projecting into the drum through the opening in the other head and terminating within the drum short of said one head, rigid frame beams projecting into the drum from said other head and disposed to the sides of and parallel to the tray, said beams also terminating within the drum and means flexibly supporting the tray adjacent its inner end from the corresponding beams for longitudinal shaking movement.

4. An elevator and mixer comprising a rotary horizontal-axis drum, end heads on the drum having central openings therein, means to feed produce into the drum through the opening in one head, elevating means in the drum, a longitudinally movable shaker tray to receive the elevated produce projecting into the drum through the opening in the other head and terminating within the drum adjacent but short of said one head at a level above that of the adjacent end of the conveyor and a fixed deflecting chute above said end of the conveyor and extending at an acute angle to a vertical plane from a point outside the drum at a level above that of the tray to a lower termination inwardly of the drum.

5. An elevator and mixer comprising a rotary horizontal-axis drum, end heads on the drum having central openings therein, means to feed produce into the drum through the opening in one head, elevating vanes projecting into the drum from the inner periphery thereof and. for the major portion of the length of said drum, a tray projecting into the drum through one head opening to receive the produce after being elevated and then dropping from the vanes, and a fixed deflecting chute mounted at one end of the drum in such relation to the tray and the adjacent end head as to catch dropping produce missing the tray and tending to pass from the drum through the adjacent end-head opening, and deoect such produce back into the drum.

ROMOLO L. PUCCINELLI. 

